Japanese Wagyu embryos - origins of the world’s most expensive beef – are to be auctioned at the Spring Bull Sales at Stirling Agricultural Centre.

In a Scottish first, a customer is offering 18 pure Wagyu embryos from a local, recently-established herd.

Wagyu beef is said to sell in Japan at around £10,000, up to five times the price Scottish farmers get for the carcass of indigenous breeds, and can fetch £500 a kilo in shops and restaurants.

Embryo sellers husband and wife Mohsin and Martine Al-Tajir, who run the breed under their company Highland Wagyu at Blackford Farms, Dunblane, said they were available for purchase in separate lots.

Executive chairman of United Auctions David Leggat said: “We believe the sale of these Wagyu embryos is the first time such genetic material will be offered in Scotland via auction and we’re pleased to support Highland Wagyu in this way.”

A total of 1169 pedigree bulls and females are on the road to Stirling for the sales next week, with the event welcoming some bumper breed entries.The action takes place at United Auction’s SAC across two weeks from Monday to Wednesday (February 4- 6) and from February 18-19.

The Bull Sales, held under the auspices of the national breed societies and supported by Bank of Scotland, has a new format.The native breeds plus Limousins will be exhibited in week one with the rest of the continental breeds featuring in week two.

Mr Leggat added: “The sale promises a fantastic show for quality with bulls to suit to every pocket. Virtually all the bulls have both EBV information and herd health status in the catalogues to help buyers with their choice.”

Included in the event are 180 Limousin bulls, making it the biggest entry of the breed in the history of the sales. At 93 entries, the Shorthorn bulls are at their largest numbers since the 1960s. And after two decades, the Bull Sales will also see enough Herefords to enable show classes.

Full catalogue details for the sales are available at www.uagroup.co.uk along with access to the sale ring’s live webcam.